Born in Chicago, Illinois, Jacki Bacharach grew up in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles, California. Jacki was an active
undergraduate in the Young Democrats at UCLA and earned a bachelor’s degree in Political Science. In 1980, Jacki was elected
to the city council Rancho Palos Verdes.
In 1976, the California State Legislature enacted Assembly Bill #1246 creating the Los Angeles County Transportation Commission
(LACTC) to oversee public transportation (bus and rail, shuttles, dial-a-ride, paratransit) and highway policy in Los Angeles
County. The legislation, drafted by Assemblyman Walter Ingalls, required LACTC to approve all plans and funding with respect
to transit capital development, transit operations and highway capital development. LACTC's authority over highways was ultimately
subject to approval by the California State Transportation Commission. The authority of LACTC was similar to that of the
New York Metropolitan Transit Authority or Chicago’s Regional Transit Authority, except that these organizations have little
or no jurisdiction over highways. The LACTC board of directors consisted of elected representatives from both county and
municipal governments and a private citizen appointed by the Los Angeles mayor and approved by the city council. In 1980
Los Angeles County voters passed Proposition A, which established a half cent sales tax to fund regional transit planning
and construction. LACTC is credited with the construction of the Metro Blue Line, Metro Green Line and completing construction
of the Metro Red Line.
The California State Legislature created the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA) in April 1993
via a merger of the Los Angeles County Transportation Commission and the Southern California Rapid Transit District. "Transit"
was expanded to "Transportation" as the agency combined both county-wide roles of the two predecessor agencies.
In April 1982, Jacki began her career at LACTC via her position as a councilwoman for the City of Rancho Palos Verdes. She
remained a part of the commission until 1993, just before the merger with SCRTD that created LACMTA. She chaired the Planning
and Mobility Committee for much of her career and headed the Blue Line Committee which implemented the Los Angeles – Long
Beach Rail, the first rail line built in Los Angeles in over 50 years. Jacki was also the first female council member on
the Southern California Regional Rail Authority or SCRRA (which today operates Metrolink), spearheading inter-county commuter
rail in the five counties of Southern California. In 1993 Jacki left LACTC and started a consulting firm, Jacki Bacharach
and Associates. She continues to work with LACMTA as a representative on the Los Angeles-San Diego Rail Corridor Agency (LOSSAN).
Jacki has served as the Executive Director of the South Bay Cities Council of Governments (SBCCOG), and on the California
Senate Advisory Committee on Cost Control in State Government.

Extent

9 boxes, 3.34 linear feet

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Availability

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